


Rocky Road

by binkty



Category: Sleepy Hollow (TV)
Genre: Crane Apologizes for Past Mistakes, F/M, Food Sharing, Late Night Conversations, Pre-Relationship, Witness Downtime
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-10-27 18:11:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17771747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/binkty/pseuds/binkty
Summary: "Rocky Road, Lieutenant," Ichabod replied, revealing the pint of ice cream he'd purchased earlier that day. He smiled as he set about removing the lid. "I recall you once said that it was tradition for those who find themselves without romantic partners on Valentine's Day to quote 'drown their sorrows in tubs of Rocky Road'. Seeing as today is Valentine's Day and here we both are without romantic partners…" He let his sentence trail off as he held the container out for her to take the first scoop.





	Rocky Road

Ichabod had agreed to take care of the dishes so that Abbie might have the chance to forget the stresses of the day by immersing herself in a world of high fantasy in the living room. He smiled at the sight of her now – leaning on the arm of the couch with her legs curled up under her, brow furrowed in concentration, completely engrossed in what she was reading – as he glanced up from putting the last of the dishes back into the cupboard to look over her way.

With all the dishes put away, he proceeded to grab two spoon from the cutlery drawer and made his way over to where Abbie was relaxing on the couch, stopping to pick something up from the freezer along the way. 

"Forgive the interruption, Lieutenant," he prefaced when she looked up at him, "but…" He raised his hand in lieu of continuing, in which he was brandishing the two spoons.

"What's this for?" Abbie asked, letting her book fall to her lap as she reached out to take one of the offered spoons despite her confusion.

"Rocky Road, Lieutenant," Ichabod replied, revealing the pint of ice cream he'd purchased earlier that day. He smiled as he set about removing the lid. "I recall you once said that it was tradition for those who find themselves without romantic partners on Valentine's Day to quote 'drown their sorrows in tubs of Rocky Road'. Seeing as today is Valentine's Day and here we both are without romantic partners…" He let his sentence trail off as he held the container out for her to take the first scoop.

Abbie studied him for a moment and then laughed softly, shaking her head as she dug in. She held her ice cream filled spoon aloft. "To being single on Valentine's Day," she toasted, smirking.

Ichabod scooped up a spoonful of ice cream of his own and returned her smile as he clinked his spoon against hers before they both took the treat into their respective mouths.

She eyed him thoughtfully as she pulled her spoon out from between her lips. "You know, I didn't think you were paying much attention when I said that."

Though she would never come right out and say it, Ichabod knew that she was referring to more than just his preoccupation with thwarting the Incordata. He nodded lightly and let his chin fall to his chest in acknowledgement of how shamefully he'd treated the Lieutenant during that time when thoughts of his wife and son controlled much of his mind. He was abashed by how easily he allowed himself to be swayed by their selfish pleas.

"I'll admit to being a little more than a tad distracted when you spoke those words," he said carefully. He raised his head again so that he could once more look her in the eye. "But rest assured, Lieutenant, when you speak I always hear it."

"Filed away in a little folder labelled _Lieutenant_ for your eidetic memory to review at a later time," she said, reaching out for another scoop. 

Ichabod smiled softly. "Something akin to that." He watched his spoon create new hills and valleys as he dug through the ice cream, no longer all that interested in eating. "Lieutenant, I feel I must apologize for my behaviour during that time," he said at length. "Logic dictated your viewpoints to be just and true yet time after time I sided against you and upheld the appeals of my wife." 

Abbie shook her head at his attempt to apologize but whether she truly thought there was no need for it or she just didn't want to air old grievances, he wasn't sure. "She was a witch, Crane," she put forth. "She probably had you spelled or something."

Ever his gracious Lieutenant. Still making excuses to spare his feelings in regards to his family to the unfortunate detriment of her own. He would not accept her attempts at absolution this time. He would hold himself accountable for his part in how things transpired.

"Would that that were true but I'm afraid I cannot escape the blame so easily. I'm ashamed to admit she needed no such magics to gain influence over me," he confessed. "I wanted so much to hold on to something that I knew, any last semblance of my old life, that I forgave her more than she deserved, neglecting my partnership with you in the process." He placed the carton of ice cream on the coffee table in order to give her his full attention and angled himself toward her. "I took you for granted, Lieutenant. And that it went so far that she almost took your life before I finally came to my senses?" His head dropped forward in remorse and he shook it before once again meeting her gaze. "You deserved better in a partner let alone someone who professed himself a friend." 

Abbie sighed and reached out to stick her spoon into the ice cream next to his. "Look, you're right," she said. "I did deserve better." Ichabod closed his eyes as regret continued to flood through him. "And there were a lot of times your blind spot for your family left me feeling frustrated and alone in this fight but I understood it. You always want to see the best in the ones you love." 

"I'm no longer sure how much I truly loved them," Ichabod admitted. "I think, now, I only loved the idea of them; who I wanted them to be." He paused a moment to let himself reconcile with that revelation. Abbie was watching him patiently and he wondered if this might have been something she suspected all along. "The wife I remembered and the son who could have been. They are who I mourned all those months I was away instead of where I should have been; here, by your side." He gave a rueful smile. "Another thing for which I need apologize." 

"The best apology is changed behaviour."

"I know. And it's something I hope I've demonstrated since my return."

Abbie nodded in acknowledgement that he had. "It is nice to have it voiced though. The admission I was wronged," she added. "There's a little bit of vindication in that."

"It might be of little comfort – being as I never had any intention of wronging you yet I did all the same– but I hope to never have need to voice it again. I do not relish the idea of wronging you," he said earnestly. "In fact it was in large part due to my shame in having done so that I left when I did," he added. "I could not face you knowing all you endured because of me. And so I chose to run rather than confront the ramifications of my and my family's actions; convinced myself you would be better off in my absence."

"That will never be true," she stressed. "I will never be _better off_ without you." 

"I had hoped that was the case when I began to come out from under the cloud of sorrow that weighed down on me and I came to realize how selfish I had been by not permitting you a say in the matter. Yet even so, there was still a chance my original assessment had been accurate and the longer I stayed away, the more it seemed a reason was required in order for me to return."

"Hence your excitement over the tablets." 

"Precisely," Ichabod replied, inclining his head. "They gave me the perfect excuse to return to your life." 

"I hope you understand now that you don't need an excuse to be in my life. Our fates are entwined, remember?" she said, shoving him good-naturedly and then playfully adding, "Weren't you the one who told me running away wasn't going to change that?" 

He ducked his head, lips curling upward despite himself. "I believe I was." He regarded her for a moment and then held out his hand. "Let us both agree never to attempt to run from the other again."

She looked down at his hand and then back up at him. "Deal," she smiled, taking his hand and pumping it once. "We're in this together."

"Indeed we are," he agreed. "And, Lieutenant, if you should ever sense yourself beginning to feel alone once more in our fight, I do hope you'll tell me."

"Started reviewing the conversation in that little _Lieutenant_ folder, huh?" she smirked. She sighed, closing her eyes, and then nodded. "Yeah, okay."

He smiled warmly. "Good."

"Now that all that's settled," Abbie began, eyeing the abandoned ice cream, "give me back my Valentine's Day treat before it melts completely."

Ichabod chuckled softly. "'Tis not yours alone, Lieutenant," he reproached, reaching out to retrieve the container. "It is ours to share." 

"Semantics," Abbie grinned as he held it out for her only to impishly pull it away at the last second. "Gimme!" she laughed, lunging after him.

After a brief, playful scuffle, Abbie sat back triumphant, her prize in her hands. Ichabod looked on with affection as she grinned at him victoriously. 

"Happy Valentine's Day, Lieutenant," he said.

She smiled, handing him back his spoon. "Happy Valentine's Day, Crane."


End file.
